Harbinger Of Glory

[Monday, 3rd January 2024]

By the time Leo had managed to explain what had happened in Milan, from the decision to leave for the airport to his eventual arrival at Vittoria’s family event, the call had gone on for several minutes.

Dawson listened without interrupting much, though there were a few moments when Leo could hear him sigh on the other end.

”Look, Leo,” Dawson eventually said, his voice settling into a disappointed tone.

”I know there’s a life outside football. I’m not going to tell you that you should spend every waking hour thinking about training or your next match.

You’re eighteen. You’re allowed to have a life, and if there’s someone you want to spend time with, that’s your business.”

Leo leaned against the wall beside his bedroom door and listened.

”But you’ve got to make sure it doesn’t start affecting your football. You played a game, flew to another country, stayed out half the night and then had to get yourself back here.

You can’t keep doing things like that without thinking about the consequences. You were lucky this time, because doing too much can take a toll on a person, especially someone like you. You are in a job that heavily relies on your body.”

”I know, Daws.”

”I’m sure you do. That’s why I’m having this conversation with you instead of making it a bigger issue than it needs to be.”

Leo rubbed the back of his neck.

”If there’s a next time, I’ll plan ahead. That way, I can avoid a situation like this.”

”Good,” Dawson replied, though he sounded more tired than convinced.

”Because I’d rather not have to find out where you’ve disappeared to every time you decide to do something spontaneous.”

Leo chuckled and then nodded.

”Fair enough.”

Dawson sighed, and the conversation finally began to wind down.

”Anyway, have a happy Monday. We don’t have a Premier League game this week, so take the opportunity to get some proper rest. You’ve had a busy few months, and a few days away from the training ground won’t hurt you.”

”Thanks, Daws.”

”Don’t thank me yet. I want you back in on Wednesday.”

”Okay,” Leo answered as Dawson went on.

”Yes. We’ve got Bolton Wanderers in the FA Cup third round, and that’s where we’re entering the competition this season. We need to get ourselves ready for it.”

Leo nodded, even though Dawson couldn’t see him.

”Right.”

”I’ll be giving some of the lads who haven’t played as much a chance to get minutes.

They’ve worked hard, and we need to keep everyone involved, especially with the schedule getting busier. We are going to need them sharp too.”

”Sounds good.”

”I haven’t finalised the starting eleven yet, but you’re further down the pecking order for this one. Given the opposition and the other fixtures we’ve got coming up, I want to give a few others the opportunity to start.”

Leo’s shoulders dropped slightly as Dawson noticed the silence.

”Don’t start sulking,” Dawson said a moment later.

”It doesn’t mean you’re going to spend the entire afternoon watching from the bench. You’ll get some minutes to keep you sharp, and we’ll take it from there. There’s plenty of football ahead of us.”

Leo let out a quiet breath and then responded.

”Yeah. I understand.”

”Good. Get some rest, Calderon. I’ll see you Wednesday.”

”See you, Daws.”

The call ended, and for the few minutes that followed, Leo remained where he was, staring at the screen before tapping the side of his phone with his thumb.

He understood Dawson’s reasoning, and he wasn’t about to argue over an FA Cup match when the manager had already explained his plans.

Still, the prospect of being used sparingly wasn’t particularly appealing.

He turned the phone over in his left hand, tossed it onto the couch walked into his bedroom.

There wasn’t much else to do now.

Dawson had given him a few days to himself, and for once, Leo intended to take him up on it.

..

The first week of the new year unfolded with a different rhythm across European football.

With the winter break still in effect in several leagues, attention turned towards the European competitions as clubs completed their remaining group-stage fixtures.

For those still fighting to secure qualification out of their respective groups, there was little room to relax.

Every point mattered, and the final round of matches brought its share of tense finishes, late goals and anxious stretches spent watching results elsewhere.

Leo followed a handful of the games from his apartment.

On Tuesday, Jake and Ezra dropped by, ostensibly to keep him company but mostly because Jake had decided that watching football alone was a waste of a perfectly good evening.

Ezra arrived with food, Jake took control of the television, and before long, the three were settled in the living room, arguing over decisions made by managers who weren’t there to defend themselves.

”Why would he start him there?” Jake asked as the broadcast returned from a replay.

Ezra barely looked away from the screen. ”Because the other option is injured.”

”Then change the formation.”

”And make you the manager, apparently.”

Jake opened his mouth, considered the retort, and reached for the food instead.

Ezra shook his head and just like that, the evening passed easily.

They watched the matches, talked about football and drifted into other subjects whenever the action slowed.

By Wednesday morning, however, the brief spell of freedom was over.

Wigan’s players began returning to the training complex after nearly four days away.

Some arrived looking refreshed, others took a little longer to shake off the sluggishness that followed a break in routine.

The usual greetings filled the corridors, and the cafeteria gradually regained the noise that had been missing over the previous few days.

Leo greeted his teammates as they came in, exchanged a few words with Jake and Ezra, then headed through for the morning’s preparations.

The break had been short, but it had done him more good than he expected.

With the immediate demands of the Premier League temporarily out of the way, Wigan’s attention shifted towards the domestic cups.

For the first time in their new life as a top-flight club, they were preparing to enter the FA Cup from the third round, where Premier League and Championship sides joined the lower-league teams already competing.

Their opponents were Bolton Wanderers, a League One side with every reason to treat the fixture as an opportunity to make a statement.

For Wigan, it was a different kind of challenge.

Expectations were to progress, but Dawson had already made it clear he intended to use the occasion to give several players valuable minutes.

As the squad gathered and the coaching staff began laying out the week’s plans, the focus moved away from league points and towards the cup.

Wigan had another competition to begin.